


Is this a break-up or a make-up?

by BigMood2018



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 02:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16232678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigMood2018/pseuds/BigMood2018
Summary: Lou and Debbie's rough patch (and no, it wasn't Claude). It was them because they were young, reckless, and self-destructive. As if a guy could break them up.Lou is startled by the incessant knocking on her door. It’s late, almost midnight, and she was not expecting anyone tonight. She grabs a wrench from her toolbox just in case before slowly opening the door. Colour her surprised when she sees Debbie. They haven’t talked to each other in a couple of months and Lou had no plans of seeing her at all.





	Is this a break-up or a make-up?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever piece of writing, so any kind of comment/criticism is welcome. But these two! These two made me do it! Ocean's 9 better give us all the backstory. And to all the other writers out there, keep doing your thing. I kudos literally everyone who writes about this pairing I love them so much.

Lou is startled by the incessant knocking on her door. It’s late, almost midnight, and she was not expecting anyone tonight. She grabs a wrench from her toolbox just in case before slowly opening the door. Colour her surprised when she sees Debbie. They haven’t talked to each other in a couple of months and Lou had no plans of seeing her. She was only in the city for business. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

“Uh, hey?” 

“Can I come in?” Debbie looks like she could sleep for a week, but she is still the most beautiful person Lou has seen. They used to joke that she was ‘definitely a 10/10, 24/7’ but only if Lou is judging, which still makes her smile. Lou's goofball. Used to be hers.

“Yeah of course,” Lou says moving aside. “How the hell did you find me?” Debbie just gives her a look, she can find anyone if she sets her mind to it. “Why are you here? Now?” They were probably past pleasantries at this point. And whatever was happening here, or was about to happen, this was what she was actively avoiding.

“Hello Debbie! Hello Lou! How are you today?” Debbie says with fake cheer.

“Debbie,” Lou can feel the irritation at the unexpected intrusion bubbling under the surface already.

“I tried calling you. Sent you texts and emails, a lot of texts and emails. You barely replied at first, and then you just… didn’t.” Debbie looked so defeated as she sat down on the couch. “I came here so you would be forced to acknowledge me at least. You didn’t have to cut me off completely.” _Ah._

“I was going to reply, you know, eventually.” A beat. Two beats. “I was just waiting until I stopped missing you.” Lou attempted to smirk, to make light of her own swell of emotion, but it came out as the smallest, most despondent scowl instead.

Debbie stood and took one tentative step closer, could not help it. So she did what she wanted to do, what she thought of doing for months now. She enveloped Lou, near suffocating how much she wants to keep her close. Of course she realised a while back that walking away was a mistake, but it came in bouts and waves. There were moments when she could go about her day and forget how badly she handled the whole thing. But by far, here in this moment, this was the biggest wave yet and it was threatening to knock her off balance completely. She thought she was scared of the depth of her feelings before, but it was nothing compared to what she's scared of losing now. 

“I’m so, so sorry.” Debbie tried to put everything that was left unsaid into that one sentence. They never talked about what they were, they made no commitments or promises but she wished they had. God she wished they had. It might have saved them all the heartbreak. Kissing in back rooms and getting drunk in bars and fucking in hotel suites. Lying and thieving and scheming. It was glorious _._ They never fought, never had a serious argument, not once. Fighting meant there was something tangible. Fighting meant they were something real. They never even fought for each other.

“Yeah, me too,” Lou sighs wearily. They were locked in an embrace that felt like forever and not enough at the same time.

But it was clear Lou was not going to speak again anytime soon, and truly, what else was there left to say? Debbie could not bring herself to say the words. _I wish I could take it back._ Was this it? _I lied, it wasn’t just fun for me. It wasn’t just because I was bored and lonely._ Was this goodbye? _Please don’t make me say goodbye._ Reluctantly, Debbie let go and decided to leave before she loses more pieces of her shattered heart.

As Debbie grabs her coat, she hears “Wait where are you going? Did you drive here? You shouldn’t drive this late at night. Early morning? Anyway, it’s probably not safe. And you’re also probably tired. You could stay. That is. If you want. To stay here.” Lou was rambling now. When on the job, she was always confident and very comfortable in her skin. But in truth she was awkward and sweet, still the same as she remembered. Her chest constricted. How did she ever think she could let this go?

“Still worrying about me?”

“Someone has to.”

Debbie hesitated to answer. The pause might have been too long because Lou stumbled a hurried “You don’t have to of course. You could go. Whatever you want. I could never keep you anyway.” In their time together, Debbie always led them to whatever adventure laid ahead. Their non-relationship stalled or moved at her pace, always her pace. Lou never really asked her out, never suggested a date night, only coming by when Debbie called, happily following along with anything she wanted including all the illegal activities. She would have followed her to the ends of the earth if she asked. 

“What do you want?”

“What?” Lou sounded so startled as if it didn’t occur to her to want at all and Debbie wants the ground to swallow her whole she’s only seeing it now.

“What do you want?”

“I… I want you to stay.” She says so faintly, then a whispered “please.”

“Okay,” she replies with the softest smile and a warm feeling in her chest. Something like hope. Something like love.

“Okay. Okay then. You can take the bed. And whatever pajamas you’re comfortable in if you want to change,” Lou says as she leads her to the bedroom. “I’ll grab some towels in case you want to shower. You can, uh, make yourself comfortable? Being the guest and all.” If she’s being honest, that last part hurt because she never felt like a guest wherever they were staying. It was always home (she was always home).

“Where will you sleep?” Debbie hopes Lou stays with her, will try not to be too disappointed if she doesn’t.

“Nah. I can’t sleep tonight. Still have lots of work to finish. Don’t worry about it.” And with that, Lou walks out of the room and leaves giving her a chance to look around. It’s unmistakable that Lou is staying here even if it’s only a temporary apartment. Books scattered around, bed unmade, clothes not folded properly. What a mess, she thinks, but this is the mess she will gladly take if given another chance.

She quietly steps out in Lou’s sweater and sweatpants, feeling the kind of warmth that seeps from the outside in. She takes a peek and watches as Lou is engrossed on her notebooks occasionally taking notes with papers scattered around the table. Debbie's little nerd. She wants to talk, but opts to make Lou tea instead like she used to. So she quietly moves around the kitchen, comfortable in the silence. But as she hands off the mug, one question is lingering in her mind.

“Will we be okay?”

“We’ll be alright.” For now, that is enough.

* * *

 

Debbie awakens in the middle of the night, probably because of the unfamiliar bed, but more likely because of the lingering emotion from their non-fight earlier. Things are still unfinished and she’s not sure if she wants to reach the end of their conversation. She’s afraid of what the outcome will be. For now, there can still be some optimism. She goes out the room to check on Lou only to see a scene so familiar. Lou curled up on the couch with her glasses still on and clutching a notepad.

“Hey, c’mon. Move to the bed darling.”

“Hmm? Yeah okay.” Lou grabs her hand as she is standing, too groggy to even process what is happening, lets either instinct or muscle memory do all the work. In the wee hours of the night, they both let their guards down and revert back to habit. They walk towards the bedroom still hand-in-hand then flop gracelessly on the bed. Lou throws her hand over her waist as Debbie tenses and holds her breath, but Lou just resumes her deep sleep. Debbie can feel her weight and smell her shampoo and the memories of them tangled up in bed together flood her. She is so in love with her it hurts. With a kiss to the top of Lou’s head, Debbie follows in her slumber.

Lou is up first, surprised at who is beside her especially because she doesn’t remember sleeping on the bed. She gives herself a few seconds to stare, taking in all the little features, just in case this is the last time she gets to see Debbie up close with nothing between them. She has no idea what will happen in the next few hours, has never been able to predict their future together and maybe that’s the problem. Were they just fooling themselves, living in a fantasy life? She doesn’t deny she wants the fantasy, but she unwittingly already gave her heart once and hasn’t gotten it fully back yet. There’s pining and then there’s this. Longing for a future that will never happen, longing for the possibility of one of those great loves you read about, longing for someone you have to let go because being together could ruin you both. They made each other so, so happy and she thought that was enough. Lou thinks in this case love did not conquer all. With a sigh, Lou decides to get the day started. She figures the earlier they talk, the more time she has to cry today.

Debbie wakes up later to an empty bed again. She hears rustling in the kitchen and sees Lou eating. Only then does she notice that there's a plate made for her too. They both eat in silence for a while, until she can't take the heavy tension in the air anymore. 

“So what happens now?”

“I don’t know. I’m going back to California for now and we both know that won’t work.”

“We can make it work.” Debbie was dreading this. At the back of her mind, she knew this would happen but she refused to acknowledge it. “We can,” she says close to pleading. “I can go with you. Let’s just try honey.” She was walking away from her, just as she once did to Lou. Oh god, was she crying?

“You’re breaking my heart, sweetheart.” Lou was crying now, too. “I think I loved you, y’know. I really could have. I never said it. I really tried not to let it get that far. I didn’t mean to, but…”

Aside from the occasional sniffling, the silence was deafening. Debbie could hear her heart thumping, wanting to leave its cage, leave this house, leave her. Maybe it already left the day she met Lou, jumped right out straight to her. Lou laces their fingers together and grazes her thumb softly. “You will always be my person. We will always be, I don’t know, something. And I’m still here for you, but I need time away.” _From you_ was left unspoken but it was loud and clear.

“When are you leaving?” They can’t look at each other anymore.

“Later today.”

“Will you at least let me know when you get there? You know that bike of yours scares me.”

“I’m the one riding it!” Lou struggles to stifle a laugh.

Debbie is smiling now, too, “I’m serious!”

“Yeah okay,” Lou is looking at her again with those bright blue eyes.

They were perfect together. Almost. No one can take away their history, their memories, their love. Maybe all they needed was timing.


End file.
